


Taste of Normalcy

by ATTHS_TWICE



Series: A Year of Prompts [7]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Basically Living Together, Caring, Content, Episode: s08e17 Empedocles, Episode: s08e19 Alone, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Gifts, Happy, Humor, Kissing, Laughter, Love, Peace, Pregnancy, Season/Series 08, Sexual Humor, Sharing Life, Sleeping Together, Spooning, dash of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:49:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29797011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ATTHS_TWICE/pseuds/ATTHS_TWICE
Summary: A look in on a day that is... normal. One that, perhaps for a moment, was just that...
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Series: A Year of Prompts [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2090493
Comments: 18
Kudos: 64





	Taste of Normalcy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The_Kid_From_Yesterday](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Kid_From_Yesterday/gifts).



> Continuing on with the prompt ideas, I saw a post on Twitter and it got me thinking- angsty sad thoughts... and then, I thought of this idea, and it made me laugh. Made me laugh quite a bit and I found a way to merge the two, keeping the angst light and the humor high. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it. 💕

Scully adjusted her shirt over her very large belly and sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. Turning to the side and then to the other, she sighed again. She ran her hands across the firmness of it and felt a kick. 

“I know, I know. I need to stop thinking about my width,” she said as she rubbed her belly. “How about in exchange, you see what you can do about the gas? I got a fella here now and well… I’d like to keep _some_ mystery in this relationship.” A small kick was her answer and then a rolling sensation as the baby moved. She inhaled as she closed her eyes with a smile. 

The door from her bathroom to her bedroom creaked and she opened her eyes to see said fella walking through it. A towel hung low on his hips and his hair was still damp from his shower as he sang an Elvis song under his breath. He walked to the closet and took out a suit still covered in the dry cleaners plastic and laid it on the bed. Turning in her direction, he startled at the sight of her. 

“Oh… I didn’t know you were standing there,” Mulder said with a smile, continuing towards her. 

“Really? I’m kinda hard to miss these days.” She patted her stomach, giving him a look, and he laughed. Wrapping his arms around her, her belly keeping him from _truly_ holding her, she sighed. 

“You’re absolutely beautiful. Just as I said last night, early this morning, and just before my shower.” 

“Only two of those times count,” she stated and he raised his eyebrows with a smile. 

“Oh, why is that?” 

“Last night it was said with the hope of getting in my pants.” 

“ _Hope,”_ he scoffed. “That was a done deal before it even started, and you know it.” He stared at her and she knew he was right. “In fact… you were the one to instigate it and you _were_ beautiful… _are_ beautiful. Large belly or not.” 

“I _never_ said large belly,” she said, attempting to pull away from him in mock annoyance. He chuckled and held tighter, not allowing her to move. 

“You didn’t have to, I can see it for myself.” 

“You…” Her words were cut off by his kiss and she smiled inwardly, bringing a hand up to his neck, holding him there, their kiss slow. Another kick and Mulder pulled back, his hand moving to her stomach. 

“Whoa… he’s moving around a lot. She’s?” He raised his eyebrows, his hand following the movement across her stomach. She smiled and took his hand, placing it where the baby was most active. 

“We have to wait and see, so stop asking,” she said quietly and he nodded, his eyes on their hands. He smiled when the baby moved. 

“What does it feel like?” he asked, raising his eyes to hers. 

“Weird. Amazing. Something I thought I never would experience.” They stared at one another, too many things to say, but captured perfectly in a shared look. He lightly scratched his fingers against her shirt and she laughed. “You better get dressed.” 

As he finished his morning routine, she made breakfast for both of them, coffee for him and tea for herself, setting it on the table as he walked out, carrying his suit jacket and fussing with his tie. He smiled with surprise and she raised an eyebrow. 

“I’m on maternity leave now… this will be the most I do today.” She smiled and he shook his head as laid his jacket on a chair. He kissed her cheek as he sat down, reaching for his cup of coffee. 

“Certainly not. Isn’t your mother coming over today? Aren’t you going shopping?” 

“In which I inevitably have to know the location of every restroom when we walk in the door as I have to pee every half hour…” She sat down slowly, a hand on her belly as she rubbed it gently. 

“But…” he prodded, knowing her grumbling was all for show.

“But the little clothes and socks and blankets…” She sighed as she closed her eyes. “They are all so cute and perfect.” 

“So the bathroom trips become a bearable nuisance,” he said with a grin as she opened her eyes again.

“They do,” she whispered, her left hand on her belly, the right reaching for his left and squeezing. He smiled and she let go of his hand as they began to eat. 

Just as they were finishing, there was a knock at the door, and then a key turning in the lock. Her mother called hello as the door opened and she took her keys out and put them in her pocket. 

“I stopped at the store and got you a few things,” she said, bending to pick up the bags, and Mulder jumped up to help her. 

“Mrs. Scully, let me,” he said, and she turned around quickly. 

“Fox! Oh, I didn’t know you were here. Thank you.” She touched his arm and glanced at Scully over his shoulder. She had risen and was walking over with a smile. 

“Hey, Mom. I can…” She reached out to help and as one, both her mother and Mulder raised an objection. “Geez… you try to be helpful.” She put her hands up in surrender and Mulder huffed out an exasperated breath as her mother shook her head. 

“Stop trying to do things you’re not supposed to be doing,” Mulder said as he passed her and her mother kissed her hello. 

“I’m pregnant, not an invalid,” she responded and he hummed, obviously not agreeing with her. 

“Who was recently in the hospital,” her mother said quietly and Mulder hummed again with a glance at Scully. 

“Well, it’s not fair when you two gang up on me,” she grumbled and her mother laughed. She sat back down and pretended to pout as they put away the groceries and the food her mother had made. 

“Lasagna, chicken soup, and some chocolate cake,” she said and Scully smiled, licking her lips at the thought of eating the cake later. 

“Thanks, Mom. That sounds delicious.” Her mother smiled and nodded, glancing at the table. 

“I didn’t know you were stopping by this morning, Fox. I could have come over later, given you more time together.” Scully cut her eyes to Mulder and watched his cheeks flush, trying not to laugh at his discomfort. 

“Oh… I… yeah, I have a meeting and thought I would check in and see how Dana was doing.” Scully raised her eyebrows and bit her cheek, holding back a smile. 

“You’re so thoughtful, Fox,” she said, patting his arm with a smile as Scully shook her head and bit her lip and Mulder grinned sheepishly. “I also got that bath oil you wanted. I’ll go put it away.” She grabbed a bag and smiled as she walked out of the room. 

“Just stopped by?” Scully asked quietly, looking at Mulder with her eyebrows raised. “Checking in on me? Making sure I’m okay?” 

“Well, to be fair, that was _why_ I came over last night. So _technically…”_ He shrugged and she narrowed her eyes at him. “Well, that and I was hoping to get in your pants.” He winked and she laughed as she shook her head and walked toward him. 

“That was a guarantee, as I can’t seem to keep my hands off of you.” 

“A man rises from the dead, I suppose it should be expected,” he teased, bending his head to kiss her, but she stopped him, a hand on his chest. 

“Don’t… don’t say that,” she whispered, her eyes sad as she touched his cheek. “I… just don’t say that, please.” She held his eyes and his expression softened, his hand reaching to stroke her cheek. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think.” He rested his forehead against hers and they took a breath together, their eyes closed. 

“Too soon,” she whispered and he nodded, his fingers soft and warm at her neck. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered again and she sighed. Pulling back slightly, her eyes still closed, she found his lips, kissing him softly. 

His hand moved slowly to the back of her neck, holding gently, his short fingernails scratching lightly. She deepened the kiss, opening her mouth and latching onto his bottom lip. His fingernails increased their pressure and she pressed into him with a low hum. 

“Oh… uh…” She heard and broke from their kiss. 

“Shit, I forgot she was here,” Mulder breathed, stepping back and moving his hand. 

He looked behind her and exhaled. Scully turned her head, but did not see her mother, who had obviously disappeared somewhere in the apartment to give them some privacy. Mulder exhaled again and she looked back at him, seeing the near panic on his face. 

“I should probably get going,” he said, clearing his throat. Smiling at his discomfort, she pulled at the tie around his neck and brought his face close to hers. 

“Why are you acting so nervous?” 

“What? She saw-”

“Us kissing?” she asked softly. “You’re worried about _that_ when I am literally housing your child inside of my body?” She rubbed her stomach and stared at him. “She’s had four children, I’m pretty sure she knows how it works.” 

“She doesn’t know that… it could have been the IVF… we…” he stuttered and she shook her head. 

“Mulder… you’re a brilliant man, but sometimes you’re kind of stupid.” 

With that, she tugged his tie once more and his lips were on hers, her arms going around his neck as she laughed through her nose and pulled him as close as she could. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she smiled against his lips. 

She sighed when she pulled back and kissed him one more time before he stepped back and let out a breath. Shaking his head, he placed a hand on her belly and sighed, a smile growing as she continued to stare at him. 

“I don’t think it’s nice to call people names,” he said, looking up at her as his hand searched for movement, though for now the baby was still. “Is that what you’re planning on teaching _our_ child? That he, or she, should call his father names?” 

“When he’s being stupid… yeah, that’s my plan,” she teased, covering his hand, his fingers closing over hers. 

“So I need to watch my back.”

“Or you could just stop being stupid.” He chuckled with a nod and kissed her softly as he gently squeezed her fingers. 

She heard movement behind her and she pulled back, squeezing his fingers, letting him know she understood his discomfort and she was done teasing him. Smiling at him, she nodded and he nodded back. 

“I should be going,” he said, and she nodded again, knowing his raised voice was for her mother who was somewhere close. 

He stepped away and picked up his jacket from the kitchen chair. He kept his eyes on hers as he slid it on and adjusted the collar. She swallowed, the sight of him in a suit causing her stomach to jump. 

“Oh, you’re leaving, Fox?” her mother asked. He nodded and smiled at her while Scully watched their interaction. 

“Yeah, I uh…” 

“Have that meeting,” Scully finished and his eyes narrowed slightly as he walked toward the door, grabbing his wallet and keys. 

“Yeah, I do. I’ll see you, Mrs. Scully,” he said, putting a hand up and smiling at her. 

“It was nice to see you, Fox,” she said kindly and he nodded again. 

“You too.” 

Scully followed him to the door and as he walked through it, she said his name, stopping his steps. 

“Bring some ice cream when you come back tonight,” she told him softly and he grinned, kissing her quickly. 

“Your wish is my command,” he said as he walked away and she closed the door with a smile, her eyes closing briefly. She heard water running and turned to see her mother washing dishes. 

“Mom, I can do those,” she said as she walked over to her. 

“I don’t mind. Have another cup of tea and keep me company.” She smiled at Scully and she smiled back, turning the kettle back on and picking up her cup. 

Another cup made, her mother’s cooling as she wiped down the counter, Scully smiled as the baby moved. She put a hand on her belly and it settled, as though sensing her touch. 

“So, the baby store today? Did you make a list?” her mother asked as she sat down and picked up her cup of tea. 

“I did. It’s not much as I think I have everything, but just the last few things.” 

“Hmm,” her mother hummed with a nod. “Good. We don’t need to hurry and we don’t need to be out too long. You should rest as much as you can. Hopefully after this you’ll have all you need.” 

“I think I will,” Scully said with a smile and her mother smiled back, silence falling between them.

“Fox wasn’t just stopping by was he?” her mother asked, breaking the silence, and looking directly at her. 

“No. No, he wasn’t,” she answered honestly, her mother obviously knowing the answer already. 

“Hmm…” She nodded and looked down into her cup. 

Despite that fact that she _was_ pregnant, she still felt a moment of discomfort as she wondered what was going through her mother’s mind. Her mouth opened to say something when her mother asked a question she had not been anticipating. 

“Is he a good kisser?” 

“What?!” she said loudly, staring at her mother who shrugged and then smiled. 

“Just a question.” 

“It’s not. Not from _you_. You’ve never asked me that about any boyfriend I’ve ever had.” 

_“Is_ he your boyfriend?” Her mother stared at her and Scully saw the mirth in her eyes as she took a drink of her tea. 

“I wouldn’t call him that,” she answered softly, running her fingers over the mouth of her cup. “He’s…” 

“Dana,” her mother whispered, touching her arm and sighing. “I know.” She rubbed her arm and Scully nodded, taking a ragged breath. “I know that it’s far more than that. I’ve known that for a very _very_ long time.” 

“I know you know, Mom,” she whispered, her mother smiling as Scully covered her hand and squeezed. “And yes, he is a very good kisser.” Her mother’s eyes widened and then she laughed as she shook her head. 

“Well… I’m glad,” she said and Scully smiled, moving her hand and picking up her cup. “Your father was a good kisser.” Her cup hit the table and she stared at her mother, her mouth dropping open. 

“Mom!” 

“Very good, actually.” 

_“MOM!”_ Her mother laughed harder and Scully shook her head, exhaling loudly. 

“In fact, he-”

“Nope! No more information! That little bit was already enough.” She shook her head and closed her eyes, her mother’s laughter ringing in her ears. 

______________________

Standing in the nursery room, the smell of lasagna filling the apartment as she put things into baskets and folded clothes, she heard the front door open and close. Knowing it was Mulder, she smiled as she folded another small outfit and placed it on the pile. 

The refrigerator door slammed shut and almost simultaneously her stomach growled, anticipating eating the chocolate cake and ice cream she heard him place in the freezer. One more outfit and she put the small stack into a drawer, smiling at the size of them. 

“So tiny,” she whispered, touching them softly. Closing the drawer, she looked up as Mulder stood in the doorway, his jacket off and his shirtsleeves rolled up. 

_Mmm,_ she thought, staring at his arms and biting her lip. _How are just his arms so attractive? How is that fair? _

“Hey,” he said and she licked her lips, attempting to tamp down her desire. “How was your day?” 

“Good. We got everything done. Now… now I just have to wait for the arrival of this little guy… or girl,” she said as he raised his eyebrows. “I think I might go a little stir crazy, but of course, there is the upcoming baby shower which I am _so_ excited about.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head as he smiled and crossed his arms, causing her to inhale sharply. 

“Well, until then, how about starting a puzzle? Or we could play _Risk...”_

“Ha! No. I’m not playing _Risk_ with you again. Not _ever_.” She walked past him into the kitchen, picked up the blue oven mitts, took the lasagna out of the oven, and set it on top of the stove. 

“Hey, I explained what happened-”

“I _know_ what happened. I don’t need your distorted version of events.” 

“Distorted… huh…” 

“Yes, because you distorted the truth when you insisted you didn’t move any pieces. You lied.” She crossed her arms and stared at him, daring him to contradict her. He let out a breath and she nodded with a grin. “I knew it.” 

“You knew nothing. You only suspected.” 

“ _Correctly_. I suspected _correctly_. So yeah, I was right. Which means I won that game, because you cheated.” He shook his head and breathed out again, nodding once and she raised a fist in the air. 

Laughing, they took out the items needed for dinner and sat down to eat. He told her about his meeting and the plans to get back to work eventually. 

“I think it went well, but…” He shrugged and she smiled with a nod, knowing he was feeling somewhat lost without a job or purpose. 

“I’m sure something will work out.” 

“I hope so.” 

Cleaning up was quick, the leftovers put away and the ice cream set out to soften a bit before they ate dessert. 

“What’s this?” he asked and Scully looked to see him picking up a small glass jar, unscrewing the top and smelling it. “It smells like… what is that coconut? Almonds?” 

Dipping a finger inside, he scooped up a small amount and put it into his mouth before she could stop him. He made a strange face and looked at her, questions in his eyes. 

“What is it? It looks almost like a lightly colored lemon curd, but tastes like… like a thick lotion. Like a cream or something.” He looked at the jar without a label and then back at her, making another face and shaking his head. 

“That’s because it is a cream. It’s nipple cream.” 

The glass jar slammed down onto the table, thankfully not breaking, and he made a sound halfway between a gasp and a gag, which caused her to burst out laughing. He made the sound again and she held her belly as she continued laughing, unable to stop. 

“What…” He coughed and wheezed in a breath. “What do you… do you mean? _Nipple_ cream? What the fuck is that?” She laughed harder and he made a loud noise of disgust. 

Wiping tears from her eyes, she calmed down and watched him capping the jar and sliding it across the table with a shudder. She laughed again before she was able to speak. 

“My mother…” She giggled and then exhaled out a deep calming breath. “One of her friends has a daughter who recently had a child and made homemade… nipple cream for herself and is now sharing it with others. Not _her own.”_ She laughed at the look on his face, her shoulders shaking. “She makes it and my mom asked for some for me.” 

“Okay. But… why do you need it? Have I missed something?” 

“Well, breastfeeding, which I am planning on doing, is very hard on the nipples. They can become sore, cracked… and that’s painful for the mother and not good for the baby. So… the cream will help to keep that from happening. Hopefully anyway.” 

“So it’s… it’s safe for the baby?” 

“You just tried it, in a capacity that is _way_ beyond how the baby will, and you’re still standing. Making a lot of loud noises, but still alive.” She smiled at him and he moved his tongue around, still making a face, but not as much as he had before. 

“It’s not great… but…” 

“I won’t be feeding it to the baby in large mouthfuls, so I think it will be okay.” She smiled again and he sighed loudly with a nod. Glancing at the jar, he picked it up and opened it, smelling it and nodding again. 

“It _smells_ good,” he admitted and she laughed softly. “I just won’t be eating it again.” She laughed louder as he put the lid back on and set the jar down. 

“Stick to ice cream, I think.” He nodded, reaching for bowls and the scooper. 

They sat down to a bowl of rich vanilla ice cream and a slice of chocolate cake. She smiled as her eyes fell on the jar of cream, chuckling softly at times. 

“Yeah yeah,” he mumbled when she looked at him and grinned. 

She took him into the nursery after they had finished their dessert and cleaned their mess. Showing him the things they had bought, he smiled as he touched the items. 

“I’ll be right back,” he said softly and walked out of the room. She closed the drawer and was about to leave when he came back and stood in front of her with a small blue plastic bag in his hands. 

“I uh… I drove past a store today, turned around, and headed back,” he said, almost awkwardly. “The doll I gave you didn’t feel like enough. I thought I should get something else. I didn’t really have anything in mind, but… I went in and looked around and found this. It’s not much but…” 

He handed the bag to her and she smiled as she reached inside, feeling something soft. Pulling it out, she inhaled, her breath catching in her throat. 

“Mulder,” she breathed, looking at the tiny outfit he had purchased. 

“I wasn’t sure about the size so I got two, wanting him… or her… to be able to wear them for a while.” He took the bag back as she held the two rompers in her hands. 

They were light blue thermal and had planets, rocket ships, and meteors on them. In the middle was a spaceship with a red bottom, yellow ring, and a clear cover. It looked as though there were two silhouetted people inside of it, with one person pointing up and ahead and the second person’s gaze following the pointing finger. 

“It’s us, see?” he said softly. “Out amongst the stars and the galaxy, me pointing out the wonders in front of us and you _finally_ seeing it all. No question if it _is_ a spaceship or not, seeing as we are _inside_ of it, cruising past the stars.” He chuckled quietly and she smiled, though she felt tears sting her eyes. 

“I love them,” she whispered, running a finger over the spaceship. “I can’t wait to see him in them.” She looked up and he raised his eyebrows. 

“Or her?” 

“Or her.” 

He smiled and she sighed, staring into his eyes. Bending his head, he kissed her softly, taking the clothes back as he stood to his full height, laying them gently onto the side of the crib. 

“All you’re missing now is the baby,” he said as he looked around. 

“All _we’re_ missing,” she corrected and he nodded. 

“Hmm,” he hummed, his gaze landing on her, causing her to smile. He smiled back and placed a hand on her belly. “You hear that? Everything is ready for you little… person.” 

“Nice catch,” she said with a quiet laugh and he smiled. She wrapped her arms around him and sighed as he held her close. 

“Everything is ready,” she repeated in a whisper, feeling nervous that the birth was edging closer, but she kept those worries to herself. 

“Especially now that we have that jar of delicious nipple cream,” he said, breaking through the sudden tension she felt and she laughed. Pulling back to look at him, he shuddered and made a disgusted face. 

“Serves you right. All those years when you tasted evidence… it’s finally caught up to you. At least the cream wasn’t something disgusting like blood.” She laughed again, trailing her nails down his forearms.

“Hmm,” he hummed, and she pulled him gently from the room, turning off the lights as they walked to her bedroom, shutting the door behind them. 

His arms around her, the extra pillows arranged just so in the bed to alleviate the ache in her hips, the baby rolled once and was still, as though also getting comfortable for the night. 

She felt Mulder’s hand searching for the movement and she smiled. Taking his hand, she held it in the right spot, but the baby did not stir again. 

“Goodnight,” Mulder murmured in her ear, his fingers moving slightly under her own and she knew he meant to both of them. 

“Goodnight,” she whispered back, squeezing his fingers lightly, closing her eyes and relaxing into the pillows as she heard him beginning to breath softly behind her. 

They lay together, hands resting against her taut belly, the miracle child held within as it continued to grow inside of her. The moment of its arrival drew nearer every day, but for that night, no worries disturbed them as every occupant in the bed slept peacefully. 

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt on Twitter came from wondering about the little romper William wears at the end of the episode named for him. The little alien one which pains the heart to see, as he lays there smiling and happy. 
> 
> Perhaps Mulder did buy it for him and Scully made sure to place it in his diaper bag when she packed it so carefully. Perhaps Spender, seeing it was there, and knowing SHE wasn’t supposed to do so, made sure it was kept in there, including a note to the Van de Kamps to please put it on him that first night, to help him with the transition. Perhaps William lay there smiling because it smelled of home, love, and happiness. Perhaps he remembered things in a way no one suspected and he knew the story of the romper as it had been told to him each time Scully placed it on him. The story of how his father had bought two to allow more time for him to wear them. How she still wasn’t sure she saw a spaceship, despite the many times it had been discussed. How she laughed for reasons he didn’t understand when she mentioned the jar on the table and it’s mysterious contents. 
> 
> And perhaps the scent of coconuts would always calm him, make him think of a place he could not quite remember. But the scent... it would bring about peace when he smelled it as he would recall the sound of the most beautiful laughter and feel a love so deep, it would make him ache. ❤️💔


End file.
